Have you jumped on the “buy local” bandwagon?

They say there is safety in numbers. That could be one way to look at why many local farmers have joined forces with each other and non-profit organizations, community groups and state agriculture departments to market their products through “buy local” campaigns. Such efforts not only offer economies and efficiencies in advertising and promotion, but also present a united front for agriculture in a given region.

The “buy local” concept and associated campaigns aren’t exactly new, but there seem to be more of them and the focus has shifted. Statewide campaigns like “Vermont Made with Pride,” Jersey Fresh,” and “Massachusetts grown…and fresher!” date back to the 1970s and 80s and were spearheaded by state agriculture departments. While some of those slogans and logos may still be around, there are new trends in promoting local farm products.

Today’s typical “buy local” campaign is coordinated by a non-profit organization, is focused on a region within a given state, asks participating farmers to become “members,” and offers members services beyond cooperative advertising. Such services can include educational workshops, business training, special events, and technical assistance.

In Massachusetts such campaigns include “Berkshire Grown” in Berkshire County, “Be a Local Hero” organized by Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) in the Connecticut River Valley, and the campaign organized by the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership which simply proclaims “Buy Local” on its logo.

The narrower focus of latter day campaigns is probably more in line with how consumers define “local.” Does a shopper in Plymouth, Mass., consider produce from Amherst, Mass., local? Maybe…if the only other choice is produce from California. But if the Plymouth shopper can find produce from Westport, Mass., all the better.

The key to shoppers being able to find local produce is being able to identify it. That’s where these “buy local” campaigns shine. They all offer identifiable logos that should be highly visible in the area through advertising and usage by members.

The fringe benefit of consumers knowing that they are buying produce grown within a few miles of their home is the increased awareness of farms in their own community.

These campaigns seem to be working. Surveys conducted by CISA show that 78 percent of those polled could recall the campaign and it’s message, 86 percent viewed the effort favorably and 80 percent were convinced that they should change their buying habits.

Each campaign differs emphasis. Some focus on wholesale marketing through supermarkets, others on retailing at farmstands and farmers’ markets, and still others through high-end white tablecloth restaurants. Regional differences in demographics and the food marketing climate perhaps determine where that emphasis is placed.

Any type of joint venture with competitors can certainly go against the grain to New Englanders who are fiercely independent by nature, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s been at least a small amount of resistance to these cooperative efforts. For many farmers who do participate, however, there have been valuable rewards to be reaped.

So is it what’s in it for you? Maybe nothing…if you’ve got all the business you can handle. But if you think your bottom line could benefit from increased visibility and if you see the value of increased visibility for all farmers in your area, then participation in a “buy local” campaign might be right for you. Remember, there’s safety in numbers.

Copyright 2004 by Diane Baedeker Petit
This article originally appeared in the April 2004 issue of Growing magazine.